In my physical mailbag, I got all kinds of goodies, so congratulations on your continuing plan to fill my house with amazing stuff, everyone.

Two highlights: these felted...felties?...made by Keren over in the UK:

LOOK HOW AWESOME.

And get this: she made one for John, too!

He's got a little felted wheel and antennae and everything!

Oh, and that's Claptrap from the video game Borderlands, non-gamers, which John is more than a little addicted to. I can't even fathom the amount of work these took, which is why Claptrap is staying in MY office. You know, for safe-keeping.

And lastly, I answer a lot of e-mail - though sadly I can only respond to a small percentage of what I get these days - so I thought I might share a few Q&As you might find interesting from time to time. I'll start with two questions from two different Sarahs:

"I'm just about to move into my first home with my
equally-geeky/steampunky boyfriend and we were wondering if you had any
great blogs or ideas for decorating on a budget? I have all of your
tutorials and links bookmarked but if you have any other ideas that
would be really appreciated."

- Sarah from Brisbane, Australia

Hi Sarah!

I honestly think one of the best resources today is Pinterest, because that's where all the best DIY home hacks and ideas
end up, and you can scroll through about a bajillion different ideas at a
time. My favorite decor blog is The Steampunk Home, but she doesn't
post anymore, sadly. Still, there are a few years' worth of archives you
can look through! I also love Better After,which mostly features
furniture re-dos, but she also posts whole room makeovers from time to
time, and most are DIY projects. Young House Love is one of the most
famous DIY decor blog out there, but to be honest, I haven't checked in
on it in ages and ages, so I'm not sure how great it is now.

Hopefully
that will help get you started, at least! And when you find a design
blog you like, be sure to check their side bar or links page; that'll
lead you to similar blogs and content, which'll lead you to MORE
goodies, and before you know it's 5AM and you forgot to go to bed last
night. (Not that I would know, of course. :D)

"If it's not too terribly invasive, could you tell us about how you met John, the husband of Jen? I'm an introverted geek on the wrong side of thirty and you guys remind me that girls like me can still find someone." - A Different Sarah

Hi Sarah!

I met John back in community college. He was the outspoken teachers' darling who lunched with the college president, and I was the silent wallflower who did as little as possible to draw attention to herself. A teacher purposely put us together in a small poetry discussion group because we were so different, and John asked me out the next day. The conversation - which John likes to tell people at every opportunity - went like this:

John: "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Me: "Yes."

John. "Oh. Would you like to have dinner with me next week?"

(I called my then-boyfriend and informed him I was going on a date. The rest is history.)

So, yeah, sometimes these things happen when you least expect them, and with someone you'd never imagine. I'm no expert, of course, but I say: keep living your life, loving your friends, and following your passions, and then let life/God/fate handle the rest.

39 comments:

I love Offbeat Home & Life for finding ideas about home decor and other home related things. Not all of it is geeky, but they also have a really great set of sponsors with really cool stuff for decorating.

I have a story for introverted geek girls looking to meet someone! Okay, so my parents met in college and my plan was to do the same...which, as it turns out, is very difficult to do when you attend a small college dominated by women, and then major in early childhood education. So a few weeks before graduation I decided the "meet my future husband in class" idea wasn't going to work and I joined a dating website called Geek 2 Geek. And that's where I met my hubby! We became Facebook friends after he found my profile and then started going out after a week or so of FB chatting. The rest, as they say, is history. ^_^

Your blog rocks. I just wanted to share this, since we're on the subject of ponies-the new Brony documentary, Bronies, has been completed and is available for download for a mere $13.99 http://bronydoc.com/Brony/MAIN.html

This is a fantastic look at the fandom and if anyone is interested in just what the deal is with the whole Brony/My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic thing, this is a really great film and a lot of fun to watch.

Keep being awesome, EPBOT. You're one of my heroes. From the moment my friend PsychoTink showed me your blog I was hooked. You make us geeks look damn good!

Love your and John's story. It reminds me of my parents' story. See, my parents actually met at a bar, where she was on a date with another guy. Apparently he approached her when her date was in the bathroom, asked her out, and the rest was history.

Thanks so much for the wonderful feature and the great story. Love those felties too! I appreciate this blog and all you do :)I haven't seen the Brony documentary yet, but I hope the other commentators give Zidder's comment a glance. It is a really neat project.

One of my favorite home decor sites is Ana White's blog Knock-Off Wood. She's a crafty homemaker who designs easy to make indoor and outdoor furnishings as well as toys and other fun stuff. She has a brag feature that allows others to post pictures of her projects they've made as well as give more ideas of different ways to do or use them. You can also look up Knock-Off Wood on Facebook to quickly check out the latest projects.

My Husband and I met at a D&D game. Shortly after we met there, we took a break from gaming to stop and get dinner, and he grabbed my arm and said "Come my startling vision of beauty, we're off to Burger King" And I couldn't help but follow, and we are still together almost 15 years later :D

About a month after I went to Star Trek: The Experience for my 30th birthday, I was at a party, and He Who Is Now My Husband But Was Then A Stranger overheard me say, "Hey, did you know you can get married on the bridge of the Enterprise-D? Dude, I don't even have a boyfriend, but hear me now and believe me later, I'm getting married there someday!" He thought to himself "I MUST know this woman!", and introduced himself. About three months after that, Klingon broad that I am, I pretty much cornered his Vulcan ass with brute logic: "Hey, dig it-- you're a nerd, I'm a nerd, you're pervy, I'm pervy, we get along SO well-- so why aren't we Doing It? D'you not like girls, then?" He proceeded to give me his answer by Pon Farring me silly all weekend; we've been together 14 years, and yes, he DID give me my Trek wedding. :)

My best advice to anyone looking for a mate is STOP LOOKING. At least, stop looking SO hard; keep your eyes open, but don't try to make it happen. For years, I'd get with a guy and think "OK, THIS is It, THIS is The One, and if it's not, then by Bowie's Crotch, I shall MAKE him The One!" And it never worked, not for long anyway. But then I befriended a guy, got to know him, decided to try fooling around with him to see what it'd be like, you know, totally casual, whatevs... and here he still is, my best friend and lifemate, snoring away in the next room like a bloody cartoon bear. When you're cool enough with yourself, who you are, and what you want, it shows (just like seething desperation does; SUPER TURN-OFF), in a good way that says "Get with me, enjoy the ride. Or don't, whatever, I was fine before you got here, I'll be fine when you leave". It's a weird old world; somebody oughta sell tickets.

When it comes to teal sneakers, you might want to try these Adidas Campus 80's. I have a pair that gets noticed when I'm out and about. Then again, I got them on a clearance rack a couple of years ago, so they might be out of production.

I love the story of how you two met! I met my husband through mutual friends and the Society for Creative Anachronism, which is a medieval reenactment organization. He came one night with some friends, and started hitting on me. A friend of mine sold me out and gave him my number. It's been 9 years this fall.

HOlY cuteness... that toddler portrait of you is so darling! I love it. And thanks for sharing the links to the Home Decor blogs... we're just starting a major one ourself and my blog is new and young, but you've given places withs tons of inspiration!

I met my wonderfully geeky boyfriend on a dating website. I am so glad I gave him a second date! We were both over thirty when we met. He's a single dad of two awesome teen/tween geeklings. I love my nerdy little family.

Aaawww, so sweet! I check www.bystephanielynn.com on Sunday's. She always has link up parties where people share all sorts of stuff, crafts, recipes, and home decor, most of it on the cheap. And Pinterest as mentioned. Although I'm a 20-something (a late 20-something) I just discovered the joy that is Pinterest, and yes, waste waaaaay too much time there :-)Nikki T

My Mom and Dad met at a wedding where she was the Maid of Honor and he was the Best Man. They got engaged the next day, and are still going strong 53 years later. Sometimes you just know. Good job, John, for not taking "Yes" for an answer.

Does everyone else look forward to Storm the Klingon's comments as much as I do?

Very cute meeting story, Jen. Love how John was so bold. How many dates before your first make-out session on the People Mover at WDW? ;) herh-herh-herh

I met my geeky-sexy beast online within a couple weeks of posting my ad. We long-distance dated for two years, then lived together for one year, and then got married just over four years ago. He's absolutely perfect.

Now if I could only find a girl just like him so that I could have a best female friend, I'd be set.

Would you ever consider putting together a page on Epbot where your fans could find like-minded friends or penpals or just someone to go to conventions with so they wouldn't have to go alone? People who were interested could post a short profile with one photo and contact info.

I know you don't need any more work. Just something to think about, though. And, if you need help with it, I'm SO willing to manage a separate mailbox where people can send their ads and photos so I can do a prescreening process to filter out the obvious fakes, etc..., although I can't imagine that being a huge problem on this site.

Think of how you'd bring EVEN MORE happiness to the world by helping unite people in friendship and love. From reading the comments on almost every post, I know you have a lot of lonely and misunderstood readers. All they need is someone physically present in their lives who "gets" them. We know you get us, but you're not here-here; you're just in the magic glowing boxes in front of us.

KW, I LIVE that idea. I am completely bereft of 'best' friends - the ones who get you, who're your buddies, who go places with you. I have one close friend who I trust but she doesn't do geeky type stuff really, and all my other friends who I see aren't even remotely geeky. Then there's the ones who are, but I don't feel close enough to do things with, just go to their partis etc...I feel like the only person who gets me, who i trust, is my partner, and i dont like it :( I don't know how to make friends :(

Not exactly a home door site but www.reversegarbage.com.au is located in Brisbane and is an excellent source for random stuff you never knew you needed for DIY. Plus they are having a steampunk workshop in April. They had some awesome old radio valves a while back, and when we went in on Monday they had an art deco-y dressing table, which could so easily be turned into a steampunk desk. ( I already have my own reconditioned dressing table desk, so not bought.)

Seriously though, thank you... I often worry that I post here too much/often, and I realize that I do go on a bit, though I do try not to. And I just know that for everyone that does enjoy my musings, there's at least 5 that think "Oh no, it's that Klingon broad-- let's see how long it takes before she mentions her bloody Trek wedding AGAIN!"

Not a home decor blog, but wanted to share how my geeky hubby and I met. We both love video games and ended up in the same guild in an iPhone game. Started with just a few chats here and there, then to extremely long talks about everything under the sun, then he flew to meet me in person (because we were living 2 states apart...7 hour drives are no fun--except to see him!), then he moved up here and the rest is history! The game we met through is medieval-themed, so we ended up getting married at the local Renaissance Festival and have been having the time of our lives since! Keep up the hope! The right geeky guy is out there for you, Sarah!

My husband and I are both geeks, but we met at church. I was 30, had never been on a date, and had no intention of ever marrying/dating/anything. He started popping up everywhere I went at church and my Mothership started inviting him to lunch every Sunday. I was not pleased. He ninja'd back into my room one Wednesday night at church with an invitation to dinner, which I had planned to decline, but I was surprised and all I could get out was "I'll have to check my schedule." :facepalm: I ended up saying yes, he made a hilarious unintentional joke on our second date (the cherry from his milkshake sank to the bottom, he was digging for it and said "I lost my cherry!" He then turned cherry red. :D ), and we were married ten months later. Even with my thyroid cancer diagnosis, and past and upcoming surgeries and treatments, it's been the best three years of my life.